Final answer:
The first civilized culture to cultivate beauty in an extravagant fashion is often attributed to ancient Greek and Roman societies, where beauty standards began roughly 2,400 years ago. These civilizations emphasized harmonious facial features and body aesthetics, with their influence persisting through ages via art and sculptures that have come to symbolize Western beauty standards.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question concerning the first civilized culture to cultivate beauty in an extravagant fashion can be traced back to the ancient times. While various early civilizations placed an emphasis on aesthetics, two significant cultures stand out. The Ancient Egyptians and the Ancient Greeks and Romans are prominent for their intricate attention to beauty and fashion.
According to Sharon Romm, the Western origins of beauty standards began approximately 2,400 years ago in Greece and Rome. The Greeks in particular are known for their view that a beautiful face was defined in terms of a harmonious proportion of facial features, an ethos eloquently expressed in their statues. The Romans adopted and enhanced these ideas, setting standards that continued well into later periods including the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
In the East, cultures such as those represented in the period described in the 'Bamboo River' segment, also cultivated beauty in a distinctive and flamboyant manner, with aristocrats adopting unique beauty practices such as whitening their faces and blackening their teeth.
However, determining the very first civilization to do so is complex as beauty standards have evolved differently across various civilizations throughout history. The Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all contributed significantly to the cultivation of beauty. Still, it is the Greeks and Romans whose standards of beauty have been transmitted universally through the ages due to their outstanding artistic expressions, which later influenced global aesthetics during the Renaissance period.